The continuing digitalisation and automation of business processes has already changed the work culture in many areas. Work 4.0 demands increased flexibility and agility of operations and staff to keep businesses competitive. The legal challenges these developments raise from the employment perspective are many and varied: Modern forms of employment such as crowdworking and the on-demand economy are distinct from personnel leasing and false self-employment. Creative working (hours) arrangements are called for to facilitate flexible, mobile working and at the same time meet health and safety and working hours requirements.
The introduction of innovative processes under the heading of Work 4.0 can trigger extensive negotiations with the works council. Where agile teams are formed and members change roles, hierarchical boundaries fall; traditional remuneration structures need to be adjusted to reflect the new workplace realities. Last but not least, it is important to consider the increasing psychological strain on workers and the new division of labour between man and machine through the prism of health and safety.
The members of our employment practice group support companies not only in their everyday business, but above all in the context of the strategic topics thrown up by the 4.0 working environment. We hold talks with employee representatives to discuss measures for the continued digitalisation of companies, such as the introduction of new working processes and the operational changes these will involve, and develop future-proof concepts together with our clients. In interdisciplinary teams we offer highly-qualified advice on all topics that have common ground between employment and, e.g., data protection and intellectual property legislation. We make the most of Gleiss Lutz’s full service approach for the benefit of our clients.
